22. Home Visitation (I)
The final three months of the
outgoing year and the first two months of the incoming year mark the season of
home visits in our immigrant church. During this time, the elders venture out
to engage in conversations the families of the congregation. In teams of two, they
make their way through the flock earnestly inquiring about the spiritual
well-being of the brothers and sisters.
Our journey began last night with
our first stop at the Van Leek family’s residence.
The weather was unusually cold for
the season, with temperatures plummeting to about -20 C. It seemed winter had decided
to make an early appearance this year.
When I entered his car, the pastor apologized
that the heating system was malfunctioning. Apparently, a loose wire somewhere
in his new Pontiac was to blame, but despite his extensive knowledge of many fields
of inquiry, he is baffled when it comes to the intricacies of a motor vehicle.
Due to the lack of heating, the ice
stubbornly clung to the windshield. Navigating slowly and cautiously, peering
through a small ice-free aperture that I was tasked to keep clear with the
window scraper, the reverend driver brought us to the Van Leeks.
They were expecting us, their Sunday
best on display. A few church magazines were conspicuously arranged on the
table. Their three children, the oldest of whom is ten, had already been put to
bed, although sleep had yet to claim them.
After spending seven minutes
discussing the economic implications of the winter season and the likelihood of
a few months of unemployment for construction workers, the pastor suggested we
commence the home visit.
He led us in prayer and read a brief
passage from the Bible, drawing parallels to the immigrant life of today in a
few succinct words. This set a positive tone for the ensuing discussion.
However, this momentum was abruptly halted when the five-year-old son, clad in
pajamas, burst into the room, declaring his inability to sleep without a piece
of candy. The young boy was first asked to shake hands with the visitors and
state his name and age, which he declined to do.
His mother then proceeded to
elaborate on his shyness around strangers, and how naughty, and yet endearing,
he was among familiar faces.
In connection with this, Father Van
Leek voiced as his well-considered opinion that it was a blessing when the children
were still young, for as his father, whom he considered to be the wisest of
men, used to say: “Little children, little worries; big children, big worries.”
While I found the proposition
somewhat dubious, I endeavored to pivot it into a fresh topic of discussion.
Our conversation shifted to the subjects of bringing up the youth, children’s
Bibles, and Christian schooling.
The couple expressed their
enthusiastic support for Christian education as demanded by God’s covenant, so
long as the school was conveniently located nearby and that there would be no
transportation expenses associated with it. The subsequent discussion consumed
the remainder of our allocated time.
After offering prayers and
expressing gratitude, we bid farewell to Mom and Dad Van Leek, who seemed
relieved as they shook hands with their inquisitors.
As we navigated the cold evening in
the frosty car, the pastor sighed, “It’s difficult.”
I knew that his comment wasn’t
directed at the frost-covered windscreen, as I had already managed to clear
half of the window.
Indeed, the visit had been
challenging for both the visitors and the visited, for us and the Van Leeks.
However, the latter seemed to have already put the ordeal behind them,
engrossed as they were in the daring adventures of their favorite detective on
the television screen.
Dof, Arie. (1958). “Huisbezoek
(I).” (George van Popta, Trans., 2024). In Arie en Katrien in Canada (pp. 93-95). Hamilton, Ontario: Guardian.
(Original work published in Calvinist Contact [Christian Courier]).
